RESUMO
The aims of this study were to establish the nutritional status of patients during hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) and to determine if body mass index (BMI) is a valid indicator of nutritional status in this population when compared with nitrogen balance (NB). In total, 50 patients were enrolled (mean age: 25.7+/-9.0 years). Patients (14%) were underweight (BMI<18.5 kg/m(2)), 58% in a normal BMI (between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m(2)) and 28% were overweight or obese (BMI >or= 25 kg/m(2)). NB dropped after transplantation and increased from days +5 to +20 after transplantation (P=0.006). There was a significant negative relationship between patients' BMI and time to engraftment (r=-0.45, P=0.001). Engraftment of underweight patients was 3.0 days (P=0.002) and 4.0 days (P<0.001) later than in normal and overweight or obese patients, respectively. There was no significant correlation between NB before transplantation and time to engraftment (r=-0.22, P=0.16). The results of this study demonstrate that patients undergoing HSCT may have suboptimal nutritional status and that pre-HSCT-BMI rather than NB may have a greater correlation in HSCT patients with the time of engraftment. Therefore, it may be useful to consider patient's BMI before transplantation for earlier engraftment time.